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Creativity Squared: On Community in the Era of A.I. 

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

Hope this finds you well wherever in the world you're reading this!

This past Tuesday, we celebrated CincyAI for Human’s two-year anniversary in a packed house at the University of Cincinnati’s Digital Futures building. With over 1,700 members, CincyAI is the largest A.I. meetup in the state of Ohio which I’m co-founder and co-host of alongside the fabulous Kendra Ramirez.

One of our CincyAI mantras is that a rising tide lifts all ships. It reflects one of our missions to ensure that no one gets left behind in this A.I. revolution that’s moving at breakneck speed through connection, collaboration, and learning from one another.

We need community now more than ever. Amid all the A.I. uncertainty, there is also opportunity — the opportunity to reimagine our shared future and work towards building it.

Whether it’s at CincyAI meetups, conferences, or in conversations, I get questions about A.I. related to its ethics and morals for artists and the environment to the fears of job loss to A.I. whiplash and getting too far behind to concerned parents and caretakers about A.I. for children — is it safe or will my kids get left behind?

There’s excitement around the promise of A.I. and new capabilities, but also hesitation about the implications — for example, are we really destroying the environment with data centers for endless A.I. slop and dopamine-filled video feeds?

At this past Tuesday’s CincyAI meeting, we covered everything from OpenAI’s Developer Day announcements as the company moves towards becoming a platform and walled garden interface of the internet to questions about an A.I. bubble (of which this 18,500 word article is making its rounds on The Case Against Generative AI).

Luiza Jarovsky, who I recommend following, summed it up best in a recent LinkedIn post:

• No, A.I. companies will not build A.I. systems that prioritize your well-being

• No, nobody knows the types of A.I.-powered threats that will emerge

• No, essential ethical and legal issues are far from solved

• No, the government will not educate people on A.I. risks and harms

• Yes, we are living in the A.I. Wild West.

The best you can do is learn, upskill, lead, and help shape the future of A.I. you want.

I’d add to Luiza’s list to also lean into community.

When it comes to shaping the future of A.I. you want, this is the invitation of the Imagination Age — to imagine our collective, shared future. What do you want? What do we want? How can A.I. live up to the promise of amplifying the best of human potential? And support our communities?

If we can't imagine it, have hope, and believe it's possible, then how will we ever arrive at this future? As Yogi Berra said, “If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else.”

Where do you want to go in this A.I. future we’re co-creating together?

As tech ethicist Tristan Harris recently pointed out in his appearance on The Daily Show, we’ve seen the world come together to curb the existential threat of nuclear war. In this Time article by Asad Ramzanali, he reminds us of previous monopolies that were broken up in the US, from railroads to telecommunications, and calls for the same for the big A.I. companies that are looking to control everything from chips to clouds to the apps we use. On my podcast, Sarah Horowitz shared the history of labor unions and the power that comes from workers organizing. We’re also seeing consumers take collective action with the boycott of companies like Target for their change in their DEI policy. I personally would love to see an organized boycott of Character.AI, one of the companies on my reckless A.I. list which saw the first child victim of A.I.-enabled suicide. I’m encouraged by Kentucky’s Attorney General with regards to raising concerns and a lawsuit against the pedophile-problematic Roblox:

I’m also encouraged by our CincyAI community, which advocates for Responsible A.I. and not only a human-centered future, but also a heart-centered one.

I invite you to reflect on the question: What would your Imagination Age look like? How do you feel when you use the tech in your lives now, and if it doesn’t make you feel good, how could it?

These are questions I think a lot about as I work on my Imagination Age project and book. As with most things, change starts with awareness, and I invite you to become aware of how you’d like tech to truly support you.

What does your Imagination Age look and feel like?

Here’s to a rising tide that lifts all ships!

Don’t miss your opportunity to connect with Big Kitty Labs: exclusive to this newsletter, they’re offering a free software strategy session and bonus blueprint — a $2K value! Book your free call now with their A.I. expert developers to gain clarity on how to transform your idea into a business breakthrough: https://bigkittylabs.com/offer 

Two shameless plugs: book me as a speaker for your next event and pre-order my forthcoming book on the Imagination Age today!

Until next week, here’s to playing in the playground of possibility to manifest more magic in 2025! 🪄✨

-Helen

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

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💝 PRE-ORDER YOUR BOOK

Become a Creativity Squared and #ImaginationAge supporter today! Pre-order my forthcoming book as a crowd-funded advance, enabling me to bring it to life. The book is based on my SXSW presentation of the same name, “Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age.” Your financial support enables the movement and this independent female voice to champion it — thank you to everyone who’s already ordered a copy!

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How can you support this show? I’m so glad you asked! ☺️

Here are a few ways you can contribute to this independent female voice’s platform who’s championing Responsible A.I. and a human-centered future where it’s Dolly Parton and Holly Herndon — protectors of dreams and generative in their generosity and work — ushering in the #ImaginationAge (not AI ushering in the Intelligence Age, where humans are erased, starting with the framing…but I digress!).

Please consider supporting Creativity Squared in whatever way you can and would like to:

✅ Subscribe to the Creativity Squared YouTube channel (one day in the near future, I’ll be making money from this channel!)

🎨 I want to live in a world where artists not only coexist with A.I., but thrive. And because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. Consider becoming a Premium Member today or making a one-time tip!

🦋 I'm SUPER excited to share that my SXSW presentation, Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age, is becoming a book! 📗 The conversations on my podcast Creativity Squared have informed many of the concepts. Pre-order your copy today as a crowd-funded advance to support an independent female voice. Your support will enable me to bring this idea to life — and is greatly appreciated! 🥰💛

🎉 And as a reminder, when you support this show, you’re also supporting ArtsWave! Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. For the third year in a row, we’re proud to partner with ArtsWave to also amplify the phenomenal artists selected for their 2025 Black and Brown Artist Program, elevating underrepresented voices and bridging cultural divides through art. You can get caught up on previous years’ ArtsWave interview series here!

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👍 AFFILIATE RECOMMENDATIONS 

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🐝 We use Beehiiv for this newsletter and are big fans! (If you’re not aware of Substack’s racist issues, this NYT article is for you.)

🎙 Riverside is the platform we use for recording podcast episodes, and recommend the web-based software!

🎶 Play Audio Agency, headquartered in Cincinnati, is home to the team that helps produce the show and are audio rock stars!

🖥 Need a new website or the slightest of help on your current site? Check out e9 Digital — they created, and help us host and manage Creativity Squared’s website! They know how to make accessible websites which I love. Mention Creativity Squared for 20% off too!

📆 EVENTS, A.I. CONFERENCES & MORE! 

🎤 SEPTEMBER 16 VARTECH, Bahamas
🎤 SEPTEMBER 29 BOND — Arc Interiors, Orlando
📍 SEPTEMBER 24-26 TEDAI Vienna, Vienna, Austria
📍 SEPTEMBER 26 OhioX Ohio Tech Day (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus

For the full calendar, check it out here!

Interested in having me speak at your event or host a workshop for your organization? Reach out!

🗞 PRESS & PODCAST INTERVIEWS

📺 BBC News (June 5, 2025) — What is the future of digital clones? 

🎤 SXSW 2025 (March 11, 2025) “Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age”:

🎙 Fulcra Dynamics podcast, “The Augmented Life,” with CEO Michael Tiffany (April 29, 2025) — The Imagination Age Is Here: Reclaiming Attention, Creativity, and the Future of AI with Helen Todd

🎙 AI Explored with Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner (November 5, 2024) — Using AI to Expand Your Ideas and Creativity 

🎙 Reflections with an Accent with Kike Calvo (October 18, 2024) — Unveiling AI's Creative Power with Helen Todd | Reflections with an Accent 

🏆 Cincinnati Business Courier’s Fire Awards (May 2025) — Finalist in “Disruptor” category for CincyAI for Humans

🏆 Aviatra Accelerators (September 5, 2024) — Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 

📖 Movers & Makers Magazine (October 1, 2024) — Notables in AI + Print

📖 Cincinnati Magazine + Print (December 19, 2023) — Clone Wars + Print

🖥 SXSW Conference Community Newsletter (December 5, 2024) — SXSW 2025 Speaker Helen Todd talks Digital Twins

🖥 UC News (July 5, 2024) — Mayor Pureval, Rob Richardson lead ethical AI symposium

🖥 UC News (June 4, 2024) — Community of AI enthusiasts expands in Cincinnati

🖥 AdAge (April 15, 2024) — The Dalí Museum used AI to recreate Salvador Dalí’s voice—so you can ask him anything

🖥 UC Office of Research (February 28, 2024) — CincyAI and Digital Futures Partnership: Growing AI Talent in our Region & Beyond 

Listen: Ep.75 BBL Drizzy, A.I. & Manifesting A.I.: Discover How Will Hatcher Manifested His Way to a Time100 A.I. 2024 Honoree

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“If you're trying to play life safe, then I don't think you can fully experience life, you know. So you gotta go to places that you never been before, be in uncomfortable situations, because that's where the real growth is.” -King Willonius

Discover the magic of manifesting in a Creativity Squared exclusive interview from the ONLY comedian (and one of two artists!) who’s a Time100 AI 2024 honoree in the Innovators category: King Willonius. 👑 

His real name is Willonius Hatcher (his first name is pronounced “Will-OWN-ee-us,” and he also goes by Will). 2024 has been a breakout year for Will after his “BBL Drizzy” comedy song went viral — the first song made in collaboration with A.I. that became a cultural phenomenon, transcending genres and mediums!  

What do Burning Man, Dune 2, and the Frost Planetarium have to do with his story? Listen in to our 75th episode — and the last one for 2024! — to find out.

Creativity Squared interviewed Will live at the FilmGate Miami Interactive Festival XI, one of the top ten immersive festivals in the world! You’ll hear why it’s so special from the festival’s Head Curator, Co-Founder, and Executive Producer, Diliana Alexander. 

On opening night, the FilmGate Miami audience got a preview of the “BBL Drizzy Musical Dome Experience”. Next year, Creativity Squared will be back to see the full production and host another time capsule conversation with Will. 

Once you check out the interview, you’ll know that Will is just scratching the surface of what’s possible — he’s ahead of the entertainment industries, and is definitely one to follow!

Why did he make the Time100 AI 2024 Innovators list? 

For Creativity Squared Founder and Podcast Host, Helen Todd’s take, check out the dedicated blog post accompanying this episode (we recommend starting with this first 😉):

Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again in April, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays.

Here’s to manifesting more magic in the new year — enjoy! 💝🪄✨

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